Isocrates
Isocrates (436-338 BCE) - in Greek Ἰσοκράτης; English pronunciation 'eye-SOCK-rat-eeze', IPA: /aɪ'sɒkrə,tiːz/ - though often described as one of the greatest of the Greek orators, was in fact a speech-writer or logographos (λογογράφος) - he wrote speeches for others to deliver rather than speaking in public himself.
As a young man Isocrates studied with Prodicus, Protagoras, and Gorgias, among the most renowned Sophists of the period, and was a friend of the philosopher Socrates. With the loss of the family estate during the Peloponnesian War (431-404) he needed to find a source of income and decided to become a rhetorician. He was, however, of a nervous disposition and had a weak voice, and never spoke in public himself. Initially he wrote speeches for defendants in the law courts to deliver on their own behalf and in the late 390s opened a school in Athens where for the next forty years he taught rhetoric, i.e., the art of public speaking.
Isocrates engaged with many of the great issues of the age and had strong views on education and politics. His fame rests, above all else, on the speeches which he composed on these issues, such as his Panegyricus (c380) and Areopagiticus (355). He believed it was vital that all Greeks, irrespective of the city to which they belonged, should recognise themselves as members of a single nation, and he hoped for the emergence of a powerful leader who could unite the country. To this end, in 346, he urged Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great to lead an army with contingents from all the Greek states in an expedition against Persia.
Isocrates' speeches are noted for their studied language and elaborate constructions.
See further Demosthenes.
For some help with the pronunciation of Greek names see Pronunciation of Greek Proper Names.
